Peter Walters

Principal Planner & Director

CFP® • CA • BCom • DipFP

Connect with me on LinkedIn

I’ve always had a thing for money—not in the flashy way, but in the make-the-most-of-what-you’ve-got kind of way.  When I was 12, Mum was selling day lilies at the markets. I took the offcuts destined for the bin, potted them as “mystery picks” and made $500. My grandma made a pretty funny call at the time:

“Pete has a green thumb—not just for plants.” It stuck.

Landing an accounting cadetship straight out of high school, I figured I had my career sorted. After 12 months, I realised I absolutely hated tax accounting - it was way too boring. The firm had just started a financial planning arm, so I switched my degree, pivoted my path and haven't looked back since.

Financial planning is a natural fit. I love problem-solving and getting into the detail, plus I get to help people achieve things they desperately want but can't quite see how to get there.

I've got this one client who sums up why I do this work. They'd sought advice from banks and other planners but no one took them seriously - they were really disheartened. But when I looked at what they had, I could see a way to structure things so they could retire, live comfortably, and still travel. Now, each year we catch up and I hear about their latest adventure. The wonder and excitement in their eyes when they talk about these trips - knowing I helped make that possible is pretty special.

I'm a husband and father of two daughters, a cricket tragic, and a bit of a lawn enthusiast. We spend a lot of time with our wider family on caravan trips. I've tried brewing beer but couldn't nail a decent low-carb version - might have to convert the kegerator to commercial kegs instead.

I'm one of seven kids and backpacked through 12 countries before the girls came along. Looking forward to more intrepid travel adventures with the family.

Qualifications

  • Certified Financial Planner®

  • Bachelor of Commerce

  • Diploma of Financial Planning

In the hot seat with Peter

If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive who would it be? Why?

This is a tough one - there are so many people I'd find fascinating for different reasons. Athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs.

The one I settled on is Simon Sinek. Having listened to his talks and read some of his books, he seems like he'd be genuinely interesting to chat with over a meal.

What's your favourite quote?

"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi 

What's your favourite karaoke song?

Zombie by The Cranberries

The one book you recommend everyone needs to read?

Start with Why Simon Sinek

If you could live in any city in the world for a year, where would it be and why?

A year would be too long for me with so much of the world still to see. But if I had to pick, it'd be between a little town called Ella in the Sri Lankan highlands, or Hoi An in Vietnam. Both had this peaceful, relaxed pace when we were there. Particularly Ella - there was this one sunrise looking over the valley with clouds settling between the ridges that's burnt into my memory. The local Lion beers the night before were pretty magical too.